Mistakes to Avoid When Designing Your Office

Are you a business owner about to design a space to launch your work to the world? Are you relocating from a previous space and looking to create the perfect office for yourself and your employees? Whichever it is, we know how difficult it can be to balance owning a business as well as working on designing an office space that is both professional and comfortable. That’s why it’s easy to miss some essential points or neglect important aspects of the process. However, with something on this scale, there is no room for error because it’ll mean more time and money spent from your end. Here are some mistakes you should try to avoid while designing your new office.

1. Poor Planning

Nothing goes the way you want it to without thorough, efficient planning, and the same goes for an office design. Many people think they can go along with the process as it moves but that’s a recipe for disaster. The reality is that you need to plan every single detail of an office design to avoid any surprises along the way. Whether it’s setting the budget, choosing the style, looking for furniture pieces, and much more. There’s a lot to think about, that’s why it’s important to take time to sort out your vision and plan all the steps to achieve it. It can help you save a lot of time and money spent on poorly planned designs.

2. Not Considering Layout

Most people pick out the layout and design that looks the most professional and stylish without considering whether it will be practical. Many business owners, for example, prefer the open floor layout of an office since it’s easier and more flexible. However, this layout could be hazardous in the way there will be wiring all over the floors that are both dangerous and ruin the overall look. Your plan should include a way to avoid clutter in the workplace, based on the advice of the experts over at vestraworkspace.com.au/expertise/fitout/ who explains that your vision needs to include elements of making sure the layout is safe. This way you can have an office that is efficient and practical as well as aesthetically pleasing. 

3. Inefficient Lighting

As you’re working through designing your office, it’s easy to forget about paying attention to minor, yet important details like lighting. However, good lighting in the workplace is extremely important for productivity. If the workplace doesn’t have windows that allow efficient sunlight, you need to think of ways to enhance the light source. Make sure you pick a type that won’t negatively affect employers like fluorescent lighting does since it was proved to cause eyestrain and headaches. Just don’t get caught up in picking out the office furniture and forget about having efficient lighting that will guarantee a job well done.

4. Disregarding Acoustics

This is another aspect of designing an office that is easy to forget about it or neglect altogether. It’s a common complaint amongst employees that the office is always too noisy. That’s why it’s important to take into consideration the material used during construction that will absorb sound. There is also the option of installing acoustical ceilings or wall panels and it’s worth speaking to a professional company like SAS International before starting anything. The simple addition of carpet can go a long way in preventing noise from traveling all around the space. 

5. Forcing a Design

Something that usually happens during the process of designing an office is having a certain idea in mind or seeing a certain design and forcing it on the space you have. This is a mistake that could bring along many issues along the way until you end up with a design unsuitable for the place. Even though it’s important to have a vision in mind, it’s also essential that you are flexible in changing it to work for the best interest of the space as well as your employees’ comfort. Just try to stay away from the ‘one size fits all’ in trying to apply every idea you’ve seen in another workspace.

Ultimately, the best thing to do to avoid any mistakes when designing your office is doing a lot of research as well as consulting professionals. Planning ahead will save you a lot of time in putting out fires that come along the way and having to make rushed decisions. While going through it all, don’t forget to make the office express your taste as well as your business identity. It’s also vital that it’s somewhere that your employees feel comfortable and ready to work. Putting in the thought and work into your office will pay off when you see the productivity levels and your ability to grow comfortably in numbers.